Suzanne May hails from Berkshire England. After training at the prestigious London Studio Center in Musical Theater, she decided that Acting, and Film was the career path she wanted to follow. This naturally, led her to Tinsel Town, where she managed to win the lead role in Jared Hess’s (Napoleon Dynamite) “Gentlemen Broncos” a Fox Searchlight film.
We managed
to catch up with Suzanne to talk about her successes, how it feels to take on Hollywood, and what is next for the beautiful British Actress.
HW: How long have you been in Los Angeles, Suzanne?
SM:It’s been about eighteen months now and I am loving it.
HR: How did get the part of Vanaya in Gentlemen Broncos?
SM: My manager got me the audition, I remember they told me I’d have to shave my head for the part if I got it, and I laughed, I never thought I end up getting it. But, of course I did. It was my first feature film role so I was really excited.
HR: How did you feel about shaving your head for the role?
Well, at first I thought we would use a bald cap or something. When I realized the film was really going to happen and I had to be bald, it took me a while to get used to the idea. I remember looking a pictures of Natalie Portman with her buzz cut and thinking it didn’t look so bad.
At the end
of the day I want to be able to stretch myself and play a range of different characters. It’s all just part of the job. And being bald really made me feel like Vanaya, I didn’t feel like me.
HR: What was real life like with a shaved head?
SM: Very different! I wore a wig for the first 3 weeks when I got home, just because I had literally no hair and it looked a little shocking! In real life I’m pretty shy so I didn’t want people staring…. but after about 3 weeks I got so fed up of wearing it I embraced my buzzed head and only wore the wig for auditions. People were so nice to me, it was the funniest thing…I’ve never had so many compliments in my life!
HR: Gentlemen Broncos was your first major role in a feature film, and you were opposite Sam Rockwell! How was that?
SM: Crazy! Insane! I was so incredibly nervous that I constantly worked on my lines, I think I read the script about five times, I was determined to do well and be professional.
HR: How was it like working with Sam?
SM: Wonderful. He is very focused, he totally transforms for his character. He did a lot of improvising, some of which was so hilarious I broke a few times. He was an inspiration and I learned a lot by working with him.
HR: What about Director Jared Hess?
SM: Again I was so nervous! There was so much equipment and people around I remember thinking, “I do not wanna look like a beginner , I want them to be confident about me.” But Jared was so nice and made me feel very comfortable. He was completely invested in every part of the film and had a very clear idea of how he wanted the characters to be. I learned so much on this film by working with Jared and watching him interact with the other actors. It was such an amazing experience.
HR: How did you prepare for the role?
SM: Originally I made Vanaya very real, and tough, which is what I did for the audition., But the first day on set Jared took me aside and said he wanted her to be more of a characture. My inspiration was ‘The girl in the Ivory Tower’ from ‘The Never Ending Story’, kind of ethereal with a bit of ditztyness thrown in. That changed everything obviously! I worked a lot on her voice to create the character.
HR: You are originally from England, how have you adapted to living and working in Los Angeles?
SM: I really love it here, it’s so different to how I thought it would be! What’s interesting about LA that no one ever tells you is how compartmentalized it is. I live on the east side which is a different world to the west side…there’s something for everyone. I love the energy the city has.
HR: What’s next for you?
SM: Well, I just got back from Slamdance film festival in Park city, where I had a film showing. A wonderful indie movie called “The Scenesters.” a . It was the first film fest I’ve had a chance to go to so and it was a lot of fun. I am also getting excited about the UK release of “Gentlemen Broncos.” It will be great to have my friends and family at home see it. Other than that, I am constantly meeting people, going to auditions and just started writing my first screenplay, which is so much fun but very challenging.
